Let's Talk About Heaven

When I was little I would just walk into the store, walk right pass Ms. Chewning and go straight to the penny candy aisle. Ms. Chewning was busy at the register but I think she knew who I was and instinctively knew where I was going. As I got a little older, Ms. Chewning would speak to me the moment I entered the store. The first time she spoke to me it kind of took me by surprise because I didn’t remember ever telling her my name. During my high school years I made sure that I stop by and say hello to her, even if I wasn’t buying anything. Ms. Chewning had a heart of gold and she was genuinely interested in my future goals and plans. Recently I was with a group of teenagers. The teacher asked the class, “What story would you guys like to discuss first?” Excitedly, one of the students blurted, “Let’s talk about HEAVEN!” From the feedback I’d received since MONICA was released, the short story Heaven seems to be the favorite among the teens, as it touches on coming-of-age stuff. Personally, I get a kick out of this whole experience because during these book talk sessions someone always ask me what was the thing that first inspired you to write a particular story. I absolutely enjoy this part because I get a chance to tell everyone something uniquely special about my grandson Anthony, my daughter Randie, my cousin Pamela, and Ms. Chewning. During this session I told the class how Ms. Chewning had asked me what was I going to do over the weekend and when I told her that I was going to Service Town she responded, “Randy, aren’t you a little too young for that kind of crowd?” Ms. Chewning knew that I was a book nerd and had goals of seeing Japan and Australia one day so over time she had developed a little concern whenever we would chat. During that weekend there was a big dance party at one of the hotel ballrooms near the truck stop at Service Town. I’ll never ever forget that hot Saturday night because it was the very first time I’d ever heard the term ‘lot lizard’ and saw the wild side of a truck stop. When I saw Ms. Chewning the following week I tried to dodge her curiosity about my weekend by awkwardly talking about KC and the Sunshine Band’s new song. She read right through my trick and gave me a look…that kind of look a loved one gives you to keep you in line and grounded. Ms. Chewning will always have a special place in my heart. – Randolph Randy Camp More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Monica: Classroom Book Talk

MONICA: Classroom Book Talk….I love it when two people have read, seen, or heard the same exact thing, but they each may have a different perception. I appreciate all of the book clubs and school teachers who are using any of my books for discussion. Regarding ‘MONICA a Short Story Collection’, here are a few topics and tips: (1) In RANDIE’S FREE LIBRARY, do you think that the insulin samples are a symbol or a metaphor? If so, a metaphor for what? (2) In LABREA, what do the dandelions represent? (3) In MONICA, is there a symbolic meaning in the freeing of the cattle? (4) What is the underlying message in GI BLUES? (5) Regarding character development, how is Johnny different in the end of GI BLUES? (6) In RANDIE’S FREE LIBRARY, what’s the reason why Phillip wants to be a doctor? (7) In THE WATCH, were the scenes in the story real or were they all an illusion? (8) Regarding HEAVEN, is there an underlying message in the story? If so, what is it? Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

The Teacher in You

This on-going pandemic has definitely changed our lives. Some of you parents have become teachers, whether you'd wanted to be or not. And, to your own surprise, maybe you're the greatest teacher ever. In a way, there's a teacher inside all of us. This pandemic has brought that to the forefront.

If you're doing a lot of teaching and schooling at home, please don't forget to utilize one of your greatest assets, which is your local library.

For any parent or teacher, creating your syllabus and following your state's strict curriculum guidelines can be a real challenge. But, finding a way, maybe a creative way, to set aside let's say an hour or so per week, for your kids (students) to simply talk about anything they want to is arguably your greatest tool as a teacher.

In school settings, a student's classroom participation is a vital part of his or her final grade, but sometimes the quiet kid in class gets misjudged. It's common knowledge that these quiet students have a lot of hard stuff on their minds, especially nowadays with the pandemic going on, and at times, their 'stuff' is traumatic and not so easy to speak about. (Similar to military veterans, like myself, coping with hidden scars and a tendency to bottle things up.) But given the right avenue or outlet, even the quiet kid comes out of his or her shell and momentarily at least, they'll have their moment and comfortably feel relaxed enough to share some of their more-deeper thoughts with the class.

Back in elementary school, 'Show n' Tell' time was great because it laid the foundation for some of you who currently have no issues whatsoever with public speaking. As a student gets older, they may or may not have teachers who will set aside classroom time for them to talk openly about their 'stuff'. But for those teachers who do create these special moments the payoff is great.

I feel so strongly about this issue that I created 'Sit n' Talk' time in my latest short novel 'America: No Purchase Necessary', whereby Miss Pritchett's students gets to speak about whatever they want to in front of the entire class.

Lastly, although it's challenging, try to enjoy the teacher in you. (It can be rewarding sometimes....and please utilize and take advantage of your local library whenever possible.) - Randolph Randy Camp

More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Turning Negatives Into Positives

Regardless of your age, gender, color, background, or which side of town you live on, you deserve to be happy, and always know that you are precious and uniquely special. Please don’t ever let anyone tell you differently.


One of my most enjoyable and greatest perks as a youth advocate and a writer is getting invited to various schools for classroom book talks. I absolutely love being around young, engaging students who genuinely care about their future and what’s currently going on, not only in America, but what’s happening all over the world as well.


Of course, these book talk sessions are primarily about one or two of my books, in which the students had read for a class assignment. But often, these book talks will slightly go off-topic, as a student may ask me a personal question, or perhaps, a student may get inspired to share some personal experience from their own life which relates to the story we’re discussing.


Just before summer break recently, in Kansas, a student had asked me what had inspired me to write my first novel ‘Wet Matches’? I love answering this particular question because it gives me a chance to talk about turning your negative experiences into something positive.


On the surface, we all know that ‘Wet Matches’ is about five homeless teens getting a second chance at a better life when a California couple takes them in. But the deeper origin and backstory of why I wrote ‘Wet Matches’ stems from my memory of being called the N-word at age 5 by a bigoted White man at a grocery store in Fredericksburg, Virginia.


I’ll never forget how low and dirty I felt when he’d called me that awful name. It made me feel worthless, like ‘wet matches’. So, as I got older and started to write more and more, I eventually turned this awful childhood experience into something positive. As I began to work on the first draft of ‘Wet Matches’, I would make quite a few changes to the plot and storyline but I always stayed true to the underlying tone and central theme, which is that absolutely no one, including the 5 homeless teens, should ever be treated in such a way that makes them feel worthless, no good, like ‘wet matches’.


As I’m telling the students about the deeper origin of ‘Wet Matches’, I always love it when one of the students suddenly feels moved to share a bad experience from their own life and then the whole class gets to weigh in on possible different ideas and ways to turn the student’s negative experience into something more positive.


‘Wet Matches’ won the Quarter-Finals Prize at the Writers Network Fiction Competition in Los Angeles. In 2012, The White House honored me with the President Volunteer Service Award due to the awareness ‘Wet Matches’ raised about teen homelessness and its correlation with rising HIV issues in America. (This 2012 Presidential Award is signed by President Barack Obama, and is encased and displayed in my hometown at the John J. Wright Educational Cultural Center Museum, located at 7565 Courthouse Road in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.)


As many of you journey through life, I hope that you also will try your best to turn any negative experiences into something more positive. – Randolph Randy Camp
Learn more at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Your Neighbor's Name

I love being invited to classrooms and speaking to students. Our book talk discussions can get pretty deep sometimes, and often jumps off-topic into the students’ personal lives.


Current news events, such as the recent bomb scare, and race relations in America are usual topics discussed during these meet-the-author sessions. I often learn a lot from these bright young minds, and I’m always honored when the students ask me for advise or my opinion about certain things.


Recently, after reading my novel ’29 Dimes’ as a class assignment, which has the undertone of race relations, several students wanted to know my thoughts on how America could improve its race relations. I told the students that I love this particular question because my response is always the same, which is, “Just simply get to know your neighbors, get to know your neighbor’s name.”


Too often, we only describe our neighbors as “the lady who drives the red car”, “the old man with the blue pickup”, “the family up the street with the mixed kid”, etc.


I further explain to the class that getting to know one another strengthens you and strengthens your neighborhood, your community, etc. (We tend to make bad and wrong assumptions about people when we don’t even make an effort to know them.)


By the way, my neighbors are Donna, Mike, Dennis, and Larry. Have a great day Everyone. – Randolph Randy Camp


More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Book Talk Event with Author Randolph Randy Camp

Click the following LINK to read the full article about Writer Randolph Randy Camp return to his hometown for a Book Talk Event in Spotsylvania County on December 9, 2017.  http://www.fredericksburg.com/entertainment/arts/books/locally-born-author-of-young-adult-fiction-to-speak-at/article_8c1415b1-a28b-56ea-b13f-c5a5a20a6391.html

A Sort of Homecoming for Writer Randolph Randy Camp

A sort of homecoming for writer Randolph Randy Camp as he returns for a book talk event in Spotsylvania County, Virginia on December 9, 2017. http://www.fredericksburg.com/news/education/returning-to-his-rural-roots-spotsylvania-native-author-says-his/article_4cb4e727-f8d0-56f5-87f1-58e54122dce2.html

Shining Brighter: 2018

Every year we all make new resolutions. Sometimes we accomplish them, and sometimes we just let them fade away. For me, personally, I’ve learned over the years to not put too much pressure on myself by setting strict deadlines or making strong commitments, which were unrealistic in the first place. For 2018, I simply want to shine brighter.


Shining brighter could mean different things to different people. Shining brighter, in my own life, is simply trying to reach and inspire more people than the previous year.


Setting goals and accomplishing goals are two separate things. Personally, taking baby steps instead of giant leaps have been greatly beneficial to me. We all get discouraged, but don’t throw in the towel, just keep taking those small steps. Life is always a struggle, and realistically, things will get rough at times, but in your own special way, I hope that all of you will find a way to shine brighter in 2018. – Randolph Randy Camp


More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Lighting Sparks

It’s Friday, September 29th and I’m filled with gratitude and overjoyed this morning after reading a letter from one of my new blog followers. Melissa is 14 years old. She’s from South Carolina and excitedly informed me that she was motivated to start her own neighborhood newsletter after reading one of my older blog posts.
More than book sales, more than anything, what motivates me most is lighting sparks. This is the blog post that lit a spark in Melissa:

WHY YOU WAS BORN…
As I’m about to pack up and head back home, I can’t seem to get this 17 year old girl out of my mind who’d approached me at the book signing earlier today. She had dyed her hair with yellow and purple streaks similar to ‘Teki’, one of my characters in my latest novel, and she walked up to me slowly with an acoustic guitar strapped around her shoulders.
Unlike the others in line, this young lady didn’t have one of my books in her hand for me to sign, instead she politely asked, “Mr. Camp, can I sing you a song?” I nodded ‘sure’ and she started strumming her six-string. She blew me away as she sung “Vehicles”, a song I’d written for ‘Teki’, which was featured in the novel ’29 Dimes’.
A small crowd had gathered around her as she filled the air with her beautiful voice and played the guitar. Needless to say, it was a special moment. After she’d finished the song, we had a moment to chat, and that’s when she told me that she never knew what she wanted to do with her life until about a year ago when she read ’29 Dimes’ and started identifying with the character ‘Teki’. She went on to tell me that she now is destined to write and hopefully record her own songs.
I told her that she has a God-given talent, and then I reminded her of the old adage, “There are two important dates in your life, the day you was born and the day you discover why you was born.”

I’m slowly approaching sixty now and over the years, I’ve learned that lighting sparks in others has a way greater value than chasing dollars. Have a great weekend, Everyone. And to you, Melissa, thank you so much for re-lighting the spark in me. – Randolph Randy Camp

*(photo: This picture is rarely publicized because the camera actually caught me in the midst of a blink: It was taken after a classroom book talk session)
More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

No Checkbook Required

If you’re a waitress, plumber, cashier, reporter, journalist, delivery driver, mechanic, factory worker, farmer, lab tech, teacher, ect. you’re impacting lives every day. Keep doing what you’re doing. You don’t need to be famous or wealthy to help somebody. I’ve never been on the New York Bestsellers List, but my joy and wealth comes from my conversations with engaging students during our classroom book talks. Helping someone doesn’t always involve money. Inspiring someone, igniting the spark in others to better themselves is one of the greatest gifts you can give….no checkbook required. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Coping With Rejection

If you’re an aspiring writer you must believe in yourself. If you receive a rejection letter simply turn it over and use the backside as scrap paper and continue writing. – Randolph Randy Camp


More at https://www.amazon.com/author/randolphcamp

Amazing Youth: Bright Future

Sometimes, I don’t think that our young people get enough credit for their good deeds and positive vibes in which they put out every day. Similar to the adult world, the criminal and negative activity conducted by a small percentage of our young people will get publicized but it’s very rare that the countless good deeds of the majority will get any attention at all.
Whenever I’m in the company of young people not only do I love hearing about what they are currently doing, but I also love to listen to their thoughts, ideas, and dreams about their future. It’s easy to get the wrong impression about some of today’s youth, especially when you enter a fast-food restaurant and the teen behind the counter greets you as if you’d just interrupted his or her break and everything mentioned about providing good customer service during their orientation went straight out the window after their first week on the job. And of course, not all teenagers act this way. Personally, I try to look pass these few young individuals who, unfortunately, give teenagers a bad reputation.
The open discussions I have during and after a classroom book talk session with students are some of the most engaging and intriguing discussions I’ve ever heard. The questions, comments, and opinions of some of these young people just blows my mind, and any reservations or doubts I might have had about our youth running the country in the future quickly dissipates after listening to the students intelligently articulate and express themselves on a wide range of subjects, including sex, politics, fashion trends, gun control, and race relations. What I enjoy most during my school book talks is how the students typically would freely say things that most people would only feel comfortable saying at the kitchen table or privately among their close friends or family members. In my personal opinion, I think that we need more of these open discussions in America so that we can improve our race relations and the basic way we treat each other here in America (and around the world.)
Yes indeed, I have tremendous faith in our amazing youth, and I truly believe that we have a very bright future ahead. – Randolph Randy Camp
*(photo: Author Randolph Randy Camp (center) standing amid high school students after a meet-the-author/book talk discussion.)
More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

A Pinch of Salt: Character Growth

One of the many joys I get from being an author is having discussions or answering questions from aspiring writers via email or during classroom book talk sessions. Due to my recent move from New York to Iowa, I haven’t had a chance to check my inbox as I normally would. After checking my (overflowing) mailbox yesterday, I thought that it might be best to write this post, as it may answer a wide variety of questions regarding character development, and simultaneously offer what I consider to be my greatest advice to aspiring writers of any age.
Along with never having your characters sound the same, I think that adding a little spice to your character is one of the best tools in creative writing because it makes your characters more realistic and it certainly adds flavor and depth to your story as well. In my novel ‘WET MATCHES’, the backstory of one of my adult characters named Jack was revealed as the plot unfolded. In the story, the reader connects a childhood incident in which Jack experiences in the 6th grade with his current, sometimes unpredictable behavior when he’s interacting with certain individuals.
Providing your readers with some insight into your characters’ childhood experiences or their backstory is a very valuable tool. Showing how your characters are different or may have grown from chapter one through chapter ten is another valuable tool in creative writing, and it’s clear evidence of your characters’ growth.
In real life, no two humans are the same and this should be the same in your stories. No two characters should sound or behave in the same manner. Revealing a character’s backstory is a great method of adding spice and seasoning to your character, which will only enhance and make your whole story more interesting and tasty to your readers.  – Randolph Randy Camp
More Writing Tips at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

Unexpected Gifts

Before a lively roundtable book talk with New York high school students, I was honored and presented with a nice ‘Thank You’ plaque and an elegant dime-bracelet, which was a replica of the bracelet that’s a crucial part of the plot in my novel ’29 Dimes: A Love Story’, in which the students read as a class assignment and superbly acted out key scenes (from the novel) on stage in the auditorium.
I don’t normally blog about the casual ‘thank you’ gifts that I get from doing book talks but these recent gifts were just too remarkable for me not to share them with you. Yes indeed, needless to say, I was just blown away when I saw the beautiful plaque and the shiny bracelet. – Randolph Randy Camp
More at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

...Then The Rain: Silver Screen Dreams

One of the things that I truly enjoy about being a writer is being invited to a Meet-the-Author Book Talk with high school students. At a recent book talk session, the students and I got into a very lively discussion about the movie version of my novel and who would be the perfect person to play Viki, the main character and popstar in ‘…Then The Rain’, and who could play the role of Pastor Wright, the wicked preacher in this rock n’ roll thriller.
The class was split between Morgan Freeman or either Tommy Lee Jones taking the role of Pastor Wright. And although Beyoncé had a handful of supporters, it was a toss up between Taylor Swift or Katy Perry in the lead role of pop sensation Viki Powers.
This particular classroom discussion was different than any others I’d participated in. I never had so much fun during a book talk, and when the session was over I really felt as though Taylor, Katy, Morgan, Tommy Lee and myself had actually been sitting in a meeting together discussing their movie roles in ‘…Then The Rain.’ It’s amazing where these classroom discussions can lead us to sometimes. – Randy Camp
Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

Viki's Fight Is Our Fight

Music meant everything to Viki. She loved sharing her songs with the world. Her fans adored her, and she would do anything for them…anything.
‘…Then The Rain’ is a contemporary good vs. evil thriller novel about a female popstar and her band battling a twisted, sadistic preacher to save a devoted young fan and wayward teen.
A frequent question I would get during High School Book Talks is, “What inspired you to write ‘…Then The Rain”? And my answer was pretty simple, “Viki represents the fight in all of us against those who try to hold us down or hold us back.”

Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp

Book Talk: One Writer's Dream

During every ‘Meet the Author’ Book Talk I’ve been invited to thusfar, one of the questions that normally pops up is, “What do you like best about being a writer?”  And my usual response is this, “I absolutely love being a writer because I get to ‘go places’ without buying a ticket, meaning that my stories can take me anywhere. Also, I get a kick out of speaking to students about creative writing whenever I’m invited to do a classroom book talk because one of my greatest goals as a writer is to inspire others with one of my stories or with something I said.” – Randy Camp
Learn more at http://www.goodreads.com/randolphcamp